What Happens When a Middle Schooler Meets a Civil Engineer?
For most middle schoolers, “civil engineering” is two words that don’t mean much yet. But after spending an afternoon with professionals from Sanbell and PACE Engineers — learning how rainwater interacts with different surfaces, how cities design water systems, how engineers protect natural habitats — something shifts.
That’s the premise behind STEM Like Me!®. On June 10, 2026, Snohomish STEM brought the program to Explorer Middle School, where 263 students spent the day rotating through hands-on career stations led by local professionals in civil engineering, manufacturing, energy, natural resources, agriculture, food science, maritime trades, and utilities. It’s STEM career exploration rooted in Snohomish County — connecting students to the industries and professionals already here.
The goal isn’t to get a middle schooler to declare a career path. It’s to close the gap between what students know about local careers and what Snohomish County’s economy actually needs them to imagine.
The Numbers Tell a Clear Story
Before the program, fewer than 1 in 4 Explorer students reported high knowledge of STEM careers. By the end of the day, that had climbed to nearly 3 in 4.
- STEM job knowledge increased from 3.55 to 5.15 on a 7-point scale — a 45% gain
- Students with high STEM knowledge jumped from 24% to 73% — a 50 percentage-point increase
- STEM job interest rose from 3.33 to 4.52 — a 36% gain
- Students with high STEM job interest increased from 23% to 56%
And perhaps most meaningfully: 54% of students agreed that “I can imagine myself in a STEM job one day.” For a one-day program with middle schoolers who started the day knowing little about these STEM careers, that’s a strong outcome — and exactly the kind of early awareness that shapes long-term career trajectories.
Seven Local Partners. One Powerful Day.
Every station was led by professionals from Snohomish County and our local region — people students could actually see themselves becoming. Partners included:
- Sanbell* — civil engineering, land use, natural resources, water systems, and habitat protection
- Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center — high school technical programs, engineering challenges, simple circuits, and career pathways
- Eckstrom Industries — metal fabrication, manufacturing, workplace skills, training, and local projects
- PACE Engineers, Inc. — civil engineering, city water systems, stormwater, and how rainwater interacts with different surfaces
- WSU Natural Resource Sciences — agriculture, environmental science, insects, wheat science, food science, and bread samples
- NW Maritime Apprenticeships — maritime careers, apprenticeships, and hands-on knot tying
- Snohomish PUD — energy services, utilities, conservation programs, and how customers can reduce energy use
* Sanbell participated for the full day, hosting stations with both the morning and afternoon student groups.
The variety matters. Students who aren’t drawn to engineering might light up at food science or maritime trades. Breadth is by design.
Hear It From the Students
- “Getting to know about new jobs for me.”
- “I enjoyed all the hands-on activities.”
- “The metal was interesting how they can manipulate it.”
- “I learned that there is a lot of opportunities at Sno-Isle TECH.”
- “Learning about what civil engineers do.”
- “Learning how different surfaces soak up water.”
- “I enjoyed the maritime ropes and how to knot them.”
- “I liked learning about the types of bread!”
- “That people get paid to use less energy.”
- “I enjoyed seeing the simulations and exploring the career options.”
These are middle schoolers discovering that the county they live in is full of careers they hadn’t yet considered — and that those careers are within reach.
Investing in Snohomish County’s Future Workforce
Programs like STEM Like Me!® work because they meet students where they are — not with a lecture about career planning, but with a knot to tie, a circuit to build, or a piece of metal to bend.
But the impact goes beyond a single school day. Snohomish STEM’s career-connected learning programs exist to close the coordination gap between education, industry, and workforce needs — aligning what students learn and imagine with the career pathways and industries that drive Snohomish County’s long-term economic vitality. When local employers and professionals show up to share their work with middle schoolers, they’re doing something that matters beyond the school day: they’re actively building the future workforce their industries and our regional economy depend on.
Together with educators, employers, supporters, and community partners, Snohomish STEM remains committed to advancing workforce and economic development by connecting students to local career pathways, real professionals, and the opportunities that are already here.
Special thanks to Google Cloud and Economic Alliance Snohomish County for supporting this program and investing in career-connected learning as a long-term strategy for regional talent development.
STEM Like Me!® is one of Snohomish STEM’s signature programs, alongside ECHO Tour℠, Explore I.T. Careers℠, and Spring into STEM℠.
